Monday, November 14, 2011

We had so much fun with our last Family Street Art project, we just had to do it again! However, the kids didn't want to simply repeat everything exactly as before. So instead of painting rocks again, this time we mixed things up by using sticks. The interesting shapes inherent in the sticks turned out to be great imagination boosters!

I collected sticks washed up along the beach and painted them with 4 different solid base colors. We used acrylics this time, and hopefully they'll last longer. I don't even know what kind of paint we had last time around - but whatever it was didn't hold up well. Any rocks that didn't get immediately snatched up were pretty sad looking weeks later after a few rainfalls.

Isaac (age 13) painted on the blue ones, Gracie (age 11) painted the orange ones, Lily (age 8) painted the pinks, and I painted the yellows. We each had 8 sticks to work with. The kids really stepped it up this time too - painting very carefully and adding lots of little details and clothes and patterns. (I think they were encouraged by all the attention that first post got!)

Here are some closeup shots:

After a few days of painting, we hit the town and scattered our colorful friends around. It was really hard to part with them this time! But we smiled while thinking of the folks who will see them as they pass by, and we know lots of them are bound to get picked up and find new homes.

We hope you enjoy them as well! Here are photos of some of them out in the wild:

Yea! Happy that the orange rock found a home! Tell Jennifer that there's one at the library this time around too - it's a blue stick creature, and it's hiding outside the building (it's not in this batch of photos though).

I paint rocks with my daughters all the time (they keep taking them from our landscaping...nice, smooth river rocks) but we never thought of putting them around town for someone to discover and take home. Awesome. Wish I would have found one of your rocks or sticks!

P.S. Did you use acrylic sealer on them? That's what we use and the paint holds up well.

This is the most creative and fantastic thing I have ever seen. The painted sticks alone are wonderful but the fact that you distribute them around town for others to find & enjoy is THE BEST!!! I would plotz if I saw one of these out in the wild! You and your kiddos are an inspiration!

LOVE LOVE LOVE this Aaron! You and the kids are adding some wonderful things to the world. The combinations everyone came up with were so fun and interesting! Wish we lived closer so we could go a scavenging for one! :)

This is a wonderful example of how something small can give others so much joy. The sticks are great as were the little rock people. I am defiantly going to let this challenge our family and do something similar. I love doing craft with the kids but this adds another dimension, teaching them to bless others. Kids your sticks were fabulous! I wish I was closer to find one for my very own.

Just stumbled upon your Fabulous blog. So glad to have found it! These sticks are awesome. My daughter and I are going to have to try this.I love all the photos of the stick creatures out and about. We live at the beach too so we'll have to go on a hunt for some fun driftwood shapes.Thanks!

LOVe LOVE Love LoVE lovE these! We followed your lead last year and had a neighborhood rock painting party great fun, but the real interest was sending our rocks into the wilds and watching them be moved around and eventually all be taken home (or perhaps thrown in the local pond) over the next several weeks. ...performance art in super slo-mo? Really fun, can't wait to try sticks! Thanks for your inspiration

I recently found your site from Illustration Friday and LOVE what you are doing. It is actually very similar to Rock Thoughts, a global art and collaborative storytelling project that my company is spearheading (rockthoughts.com).

Rock Thoughts participants paint rocks like monsters and leave them in public places for others to find. Each rock is coded and finders of the rocks are invited to submit stories for the monsters they found. The rocks then go back out in hiding for someone else to find and continue developing the story.

We have over 400 rocks in 12 countries and are quickly growing! Perhaps this might be of interest to you and yours. :)

This is such an amazing idea - really. I'm going to add this to the repertoire of things to do with my summer art programme in Jamaica. Plus, if the sticks are painted, then nobody will want to throw them or try to kill ants or lizards with them.

What a wonderfully creative bunch you are, with a lot of humour! I love your blog! Speaking of guerrilla art...eye bombing is a fun thing to do. You stick googly eyes in public places, and definitely put a lot of smiles on people's faces. And of course it doesn't cause any damage and can easily be removed. Happy creating!

Better late than never...love this newer version of Happy Rocks...I mean Happy Sticks! My class is doing the 2nd annual 1st version of Happy Rocks! Just have to get everything done faster than last year! Rush\ing creativity is a downer ... in some ways! Thanks again!!!

Saw these on Pinterest. They are WONDERFUL!!! We do painted rocks and leave them out for folks to find at our local music festival... but I wouldn't have thought of the stick! Your children did a fantastic job!!!(I belong to a group on Facebook called "Art Abandonment." We all leave little art pieces in public places and leave a little note for folks about the group. I don't know if you are involved in FB...but know you would be welcome in the group! :)Congratulations to for encouraging your children not only to be creative... but teaching them the joy of giving! :)Katie

I love these monster sticks and plan on painting a bunch to take to the beach this summer for the grandsons (under 4). I found 3 really large ones that I plan on painting as walking sticks for the beach. A question or two. Did you try to remove the bark? Did you use ordinary craft paint and did you spray with a sealer when done. Thanks.

Your post inspired us and we tried it out. We had a nice afternoon bike ride to the forest to gather sticks, and then we painted them. But the children are not yet ready to let them go in public spaces. It might still come. Have a look at the result: http://rebekkascraftroom.blogspot.ch/2015/08/des-animaux-imaginaires-en-batons.html